Karnataka government has implemented a Primary Health Centre Management Information System in 1,000 select primary health centres in the state. The project PHC-MIS, would make available real time information of PHCs that would centrally consolidate information such as patient treatment, diagnosis, deliveries handled, drug availability along with GPS information and would be used to improve health delivery and enable taking preventive measures.

The PHC-MIS project is funded by Samsung as part of its CSR obligations. CoDe Consulting led by former chief election commissioner Gopalaswami endeavours to bring companies and the government together for socially relevant projects. The government has now capitalised the Schedule VII of Companies Act 2013 which mandates that a company having a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or a turnover of Rs. 1,000 crore or a net profit of Rs. 5 crore has to spend at least 2 per cent of last three years average net profits on CSR.

In this regard, the government signed a pact with Samsung Research & Development Institute Bengaluru which handed over 1,000 Samsung Tab IRIS under the CSR initiative. In fact, Samsung Tab IRIS, is UIDAI approved for Aadhar and KYC verification would be deployed in select 1,000 centres as the first phase of the project.

The captured data will provide information regarding implementation of various welfare schemes like post natal care kit for below the poverty line women, Janani Suraksha Yojana etc at the PHCs. This public health surveillance of systematic data collection, analysis and interpretation on specific health events would provide information support to the state government to proactively intervene for improved health of the people and target its welfare schemes more efficiently. This is the first of its kind in the country, said Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary, Karnataka health and family welfare department.

The CSR initiative underlines the potential of funding for improving the quality of life. This fits in line with the vision of the state government to effectively use information technology in the management of the public health system in the state which would complement other services like the e:hospital, teleradiology and virtual clinic being implemented in the state. It would be useful in extending the project to all PHCs in the state, Karnataka minister for health and family welfare KR Ramesh Kumar noted.

CoDe and Karnataka health department jointly identified the CSR projects in public health services. It would now provide a consulting role to the government by creating reports, spotting trends using consolidated data and providing impact analysis, said Minister Kumar.

The state is also implementing the e:hospital project to collect, store, retrieve and transfer information electronically which minimise handwriting or other communication errors by having physicians or other providers enter data into a computer system. This will be extended to PHC level using Samsung tablet based MIS software.

In addition, Tejasco Techsoft has developed e:Arogya an android tablet based software application to digitize the work process of auxiliary nurse midwife (ANMs). It helps collect field data directly on the Tab and disburse to the central server for quick reports, analytics and dashboards. This application will be extended to telemedicine and video based health programme.

The department is also implementing teleradiology through Keonics in 9 government hospitals which will be offered to other facilities this year allowing radiologists to provide services without actually having to be at the locations.

The Tablets will also be provided to ANMs for the purpose of data collection and data synchronisation with various portals like Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) and Reproductive Child Health on a real time basis.

Virtual clinic a pilot project has been initiated in Tumakuru. We will have a robust health record platform where all patients records of virtual clinic, real clinic, real hospital and other treatment plants hosted on the Cloud, said Minister Kumar.